Circuit-breaker.



N01 826,248. PATENTED JULY 17 19706. E. M. HEWLETT. CIRCUIT BREAKER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24 1898.

IEII'TI I FTEIIZI IIIIIfiiIHIIiI] mml gum INVEN U Edward M.Hew]e'b'b,

UNITED STATES;

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD M. HEWLETT, F SOHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

I CIRCUIT-BREAKER.

Patented July 17, 1906.

Applicationfiled May 24,1898. Serial No. 681.598.

To all whom it may concern: i

' a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectad countyof Schenectady, State of-New Yor have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'CircuivBreakers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to circuit-breakers for ower-stations or for any other relation in w 'ch it is desirable to open a circuit carrya heavy electric current.

t has for its object, especially, to provide a reliable and cheap apparatus of the "carbon-contact t e, so called, having a certain delicacy iii action not hitherto obtained. The device is also so arranged that the handle moves down to set the contacts instead of moving up, .asin many of the de-v .vices of this class with which I am familiar.

This arrangement enables me to set the cir-- cult-breaker high up on" the switchboard, so that when the circuit is opened the arcis above all of the a paratus and is not likely to do in'ury. Ia so so arrange thehandle that it closes the contacts by a toggle device between the handle and a swinging arm carryinglthe contacts, the range of motion of Whic diminishes as the contacts are more nearly closed, so that while the movement of the bridging contact is through ail;1 till: hany an t e conmade between the ridge and the terminals vthe movement of i the handle is greater and that of the contactless, so that an increased leverage is obtained, rendering it comparatively easy to close the contacts.

I also provide in the circuit-breaker a sensitive tn ping device working upon the overset principle. ,The two parts of the trip form a toggle, the center of which is on one side of the hne'joining the centers of motion but when the circuit-breaker is trippxed the joint in the toggle is thrown, to theot side of the center and the toggle opens readily. These two parts are free to move between limits. I In some forms of circuit-breaker known to me the handle by which the apparatus is maria ed is separable and is long, so as to furnis thenecessary leverage to close the circuit-breaker with certainty. In addition to the complicatioh'of this apparatus it is objectionable because it may Well happen that sistance than the main circuit.

' the handle the circuit will again open just as the handle .Be it known that I, EDWARD M. HEWLETT,

is removed, in which case it is very apt to cause an accident either to the apparatus or to the o erator.

The rawings show an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1' is a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly broken awa and Fig. 3,. a plan of the apparatus invertei A is a base of any suitable non-combustible insulating material, such as slate, which is commonly employed for this purpose.

B B are the circuit terminals rovided with the flexible extensions or brus es 1) 1). Between these the bridging contact F closes the circuit. Above the terminals B B are.

carbon-terminals C C. Attached to the bridge F are other terminals D'D. The bridge F is inflexible, while D D are springterminals, and the ,with the carbon 'contacts O C form a s nut to the main circuit. This arrangement is common in circuitbreaking apparatus. The arts are of course so'adjusted that the terminals D D break from the carbon contacts after the bridge F is withdrawn from the main circuit, thus diminishing the arc and rendering it harmless, it being formed between the terminal D and the contact C, for instance, one of which is of co per and the other. carbon, the circuit throng which has, considerabl higher re-. etween the fixed contacts or terminals is a shield E, of insulating material, which preventsthe are from jumpin from one contact to the other. The bridge is carried upon an arm F. This latter is pivoted at f. and 1s connected with-the handle H by alink H The handle H has an arm H, and the ivot H of the handle with the arm H and t elink H pivoted to it and to the arm F at f form'atoggle, maintained in the illustrated position by the latch I and the awl h. A spring G, attached to at h and to the arm carr g the bridging contact at f, puts the tog e in, operation. As is evident from Fig. 2, the re lation of the points of attachment of the spring to the arms of the toggle is such that t e spring is not put under tension until the final stage of the tog le-closing'movement. When the circuit-brea er is being closed and air toward the fi xed contact, the spring 1s under very little tension, which increases the bridging contact is moving throughthe slowly as the hook 72 is moving at substantially a 'right angle to the axis of the spring; but as the handle II is swung downward at the final stage of the toggle-closing movement to bring the contacts into firm engagemen tthe movement of the hooks h andfin op osite ('lirections in the line of the axis of the spring puts said spring under tension very rapidly.

The armature I is under the influence of a series coil L, through which current passes from the stud L to If, then by the conducting-bar L to the terminal B. The latch I is pivoted to the armature I, and, as before explained, forms a toggle with the pawl 71. It will be seen that the engagement of the pawl is slightly to the rightot the center joining its pivot and that of the latch. Pins h 7i limit the play of the p: W1. A wearingplate t is fixed to the latch I, and the adjusting-screw t, fixed to thrarmature, deter mines the amount oflost motion allowed to the latter, some slight amount being always given, so that the armature may give a slight hammer-blow to readily disengage the latch. As already explained, the latch and pawl are free to move between stops formed by a toe i and. the adjusting-screw 'i for the latch and for the pawl by the pins 7L2 7?.

A bar 0 is pivoted at 0 at the base of the series coil. Through this bar passes a rod attached to the spring M, theother end of which is secured to a fixed part of the frame, and the rod has a nut M on its lower end by which the tension of the sprin is adjusted to determine the load at whic the circuit will open. The tripping-handle N of the circuit-breaker is secured by a pin 0 to this bar. Of course the working parts of the apparatus have a suitable frame P, carrying the difierent bearings.

The operation of the device is as follows: When current in the coil increases to a predetermined amount, depending upon the tension given to the spring M, which tends to hold. up the armature I, the latter is attracted, throwing over the latch I. The pivoting ot the pawl 7i renders this action sensitive, inasmuch as there is practically no static or sliding friction to be overcome. The spring G then throws down the toggle,

, turning the handle upon its pivot H to a horizontal position and drawing the bridging contact F to the dotted-line position, thus opening the circuit. When the station attendant desires to close the circuit, he draws down the handle to its illustrated po sition, when the pawl it again engages the latch and holds up armature I.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1.. A circuitbreaker having fixed terminals, a supportingbase, a bridging contact adapted to Cross connect the same mounted on the supporting-base to swing outwardly from the terminals, a pivoted handle, a toegle connecting the handle with a point above the point of support for the swinging contact and adapted to shift it to and from the base, alatch for the toggle, and a collapsing spring having one end connected to the handle element of the toggle and the other end to the movablecontact-arm.

2. A circuit-breaker having fixed terminals, a bridging contact, a toggle for closing the contacts, a spring for opening them and a detent for the toggle, the detent comprising a latch and a loose pawl, forming together a toggle, a series trip-coil having an armature to which one of the latter is pivoted, the other being pivoted on one of the toggle-levers and means for releasing the latch-toggle by the action of the armature.

3. In a circuit-breaker, the combination with a series coil, an armature, circuit-controlling contacts and mechanism for opening andclosing them, of a movable detent for the mechanism comprising a latch pivoted to the armature, a pawl pivoted to the circuit-contlolling mechanism, and limitingstops for the pawl and detent whereby they form a releasing-toggle.

4. In a circuit-breaker, the combination with the main-circuit terminals and a bridging contact, a swinging arm carrying said contact, fixed carbon contacts and springcontacts upon the swinging arm forming with the carbons a shunt to the main circuit, a series coil, an armature for said coil, a swinging handle, a toggle between the arm and the handle, an auxiliary releasing-toggle con trolled by the armature of said series coil, and a collapsing spring connected between the swinging-arm and the handle.

5. In a circuit breaker, the combination, with the contacts, of means for latching them into engagement, a releasing-armature and coil controlling the same, a hand-operated rod attached at one end to the armature and .at the other to a pivoted bar, a spring having one end fastened to a fixed part of the frame, and an adjusting device connecting its other end with the bar.

6. A circuit-breaker biased to open when closed, comprising cooperating contacts, an actuating-toggle for throwing said contacts into engagement, two disengageable pivoted members forming a'locking-toggle therefor, and means for breaking the latter to free the actuating-toggle and allow the breaker to open.

.7. A circuit-breaker comprisin two horizontally-disposed fixed contacts iaving opposin contact faces, a bridging contact movable between said fixed contacts into engagement with saidfaces, fixed shunt contacts located above said fixed contacts and extending inwardly therefrom and co ')perat-v ing movable shunt contacts carried by the bridgmg contact, a swinging support for said and extending inwardly therefrom and terminating in opposing contact-faces, cooperating movable shunt contacts carried by the bridging contact and movable between said fixed shunt contacts into engagement with said faces, a swinging support for saidbridging contact, and means for actuating said support.

9. A circuit-breaker comprising a freelymovable contact member, an operatinghandle, a toggle between the two, a collapsing spring put under tension by the final sta e of the toggle-closing movement, and a late for holding the circuit-breaker closed.

10. A circuit-breaker comprising fixed and movable contact members, an operatinghandle, a spring connecting the handle and the movable member and tending-to open the breaker when closed, means for utilizing the movement of the handle to close the breaker and put the springunder. strain, and means for trippingthe'parts to allow the breaker to IL'A circuit-breaker comprising fixed and movable contact members, an operating-ham dle, a. collapsible connection between. the handle and .movable member fortransmitting movement from the former to the latter 'to set the breaker, a collapsiblespring connecting the handle and movable member, and means for breaking the connection so as to free the movable member to permit it to open under the influence of the spring.

- In witness whereofI have hereunto set my.

hand this 14th day of May, 1898. v

EDWARD M.

Witnesses:

B. B. HULL,

M. H. Emnnson. I 

